We are very proud of our relationship with the Amun Shea school here in Perquin. Although new and experimental in many ways, it is already operating at a high level and holds true to all the ideals of learning and child development that make education paramount in building a strong community. When members of FocalPointAid first visited El Salvador and Amun Shea in February, we knew that we wanted to help this school in any way that we could. That is why on this trip, meant for research and observation, we wanted to roll up our sleeves and lend a hand.
Each day this week, we have visited Amun Shea,spoken with the teachers, seen the students, photographed the school in progress and even taught some classes. That's right...we taught some classes. We have helped the school run classes in photography and dance. At first, these might seem like "non-essential" subjects to teach in such a place as Perquin, but on the contrary, teaching students anything that can excite imagination and create a culture of new ideas is exactly what can help young people grow into positive community leaders.
Joe created a program to teach the students in 2nd and 3rd grade how to take photographs. We brought with us a handful of digital cameras, a photo printer (all to be donated to the school upon our departure) and a laptop computer. On the first day, the students were shown about a dozen prints of our photos, some taken at Amun Shea during the last visit. They learned basic photography skills like lighting, focus, composition and subject matter. At the end of each day, a few students were given the cameras and a homework assignment to take pictures of whatever they found interesting. The next day, Joe uploaded their artwork to the computer and picked a dozen pictures to compliment and critique. We expected this excersize to be fun, but did not expect the results to be as interesting as they came out. Each student showed individuality and personality in their experiments that you may not find even in a college photography course. I guess when you give children who grow up in this kind of environment a chance to express themselves, they do just that. It was amazing to see. We hope to be able to expand on this trial run on our next visit.
At the same time, Heather has run a very ambitious dance program, teaching 4 classes a day to children from K-3rd grades. As with most art-forms these children learn, this was a whole new experience for them. They were shown video of ballet and exposed to dance music of many genres. Over the last few days, the children went from reticent and giggly to talented, budding dancers able to recite and demonstrate the 5 positions of ballet and together perform a dance piece fully equipped with tutus and ribbons. Every time Heather demonstrated a new kick or turn or split, all their eyes lit up with wonder and a few seconds later were anxiously trying to duplicate what they saw. Whether or not this great group of students will produce the next Nuriev is unclear and inconsequential. What they have learned is that their is a whole world outside of what they have seen that is full of excitement and wonder. Isn't that what education is supposed to strive for?
Both the dance and photography classes were just a taste of what education can offer these students. We are happy to be invited to be a part of a school willing to allow teachers to visit and interrupt their day-to-day curriculum. We are proud to support such a place. We hope that this year, we will be able to help the students and educators at Amun Shea in a more tangible way by helping to fund new classrooms for their growing success. As great as the school here is, it only teaches through the 3rd grade. Without help, students graduating will have to return to the El Salvador education system which is among the poorest in Central America.
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